Lycanthropy
by RarityTheUnicorn
Summary: Shortly pre-banishment, pubescent Fire nobles, being awkward and dramatic. Cute!zuko being cute.


**Okay, so this is basically just myself inserting my friends' and my euphemism into the ATLA world. So Zuko and Mai are thirteen, Ty Lee is twelve and Azula is eleven. I've been told that Zuko is OOC, but I don't think so. I think right before his banishment he was a cocky if awkward dork, eager to help take over the world. He **_**did**_** kind of think he was important to speak out of turn at a war meeting he **_**wasn't invited to.**_** Anyway, enjoy!**

Zuko went through the motions again. His body knew what to do now, so he rushed through it, making different shapes of fire depending on the position of his hands.

"Uncle, may I go now?"

The prince's eyes darted to the door where Azula, Ty Lee and Mai had passed about a half an hour earlier when they had returned from school. Zuko had tried to wave to Mai, but as soon as they had passed, he had been knocked to the ground.

"Concentrate, Prince Zuko! If I were an attacker, you would be at my mercy! A warrior must maintain _constant vigilance_!"

His uncle eyed him now, keeping a straight face while the boy looked at him, smiling politely and still catching his breath. The old man smiled.

"Very well."

"Thank you, Uncle!"

Zuko bowed quickly and ran out the door.

"Prince Zuko!"

Zuko came back, hovering in the doorway.

"Yes, Uncle?"

"I suggest you get dressed first, and perhaps... clean off a bit."

Iroh chuckled as he watched Zuko pause, nod, and run out of the door, now going the opposite direction.

Zuko found Azula and Ty Lee in one of the sitting rooms. He burst in the doorway, wearing fresh clothes and smelling strongly of perfumed powder. Azula knelt on one side of the table and Ty Lee the other. A third cup of tea sat on the tray between them, untouched.

"Where's Mai?"

"Oh, hello, Zu-zu. Nice to see you, too." Azula looked up, smirking at her brother.

"_Where's Mai_?" He spoke slowly, as if to a child. His sister narrowed her eyes and exhaled sharply through her nose before answering him sweetly.

"I'm afraid poor Mai has come down with a bout of lycanthropy," Azula's voice dripped with false pity.

"She what?"

Ty Lee giggled and rolled her eyes at the prince's confusion. She exchanged a knowing look with Azula.

"You know, Zuko! She's" - Ty Lee lowered her voice- "being a werewolf-bat." The girls looked at each other again and openly laughed at Zuko's puzzled expression. Girls were so frustrating.

"I don't get it. Is she sick?"

"Doesn't Uncle teach you _anything_ about girls? She's _bleeding_."

"She's _bleeding_? Azula, what did you do to her?"

Azula sighed and rolled her eyes, getting bored and annoyed; she was finished with her game.

"I didn't do anything. Agni, Zuko, you're ridiculous. She's in the Infirmary."

The prince wove through the palace quickly with horrible images running through his mind. He saw Azula laughing while Mai lied on the floor, moaning, in a pool of blood. She clutched an elusive wound, sometimes on her hip, her arm, her stomach. She looked up at him through long, dark eyelashes, her face and lips pale.

"Zuko," she whispered his name. "Zuko, please. Help me."

He pictured himself dropping to his knees and picking up her body, one arm beneath her knees and the other supporting her back. Her eyelids fluttered as she rested her head to his chest.

Zuko was both concerned and relieved to find that the Infirmary was not as urgent as he pictured. He expected to see doctors and nurses huddled around a bed, with servants standing an arm's length away, ready to help in any way possible. He did not expect to see Mai, sitting up and looking as indifferent as always, her silhouette outlined in the heavy sunshine coming in through the large windows, and a single nurse, handing her a cup and speaking in a sweet voice.

"The ginger will help settle your stomach and the warmth of the tea will relax your muscles. See, dear, the muscles contracting is what's hurting."

"Thank you," Mai responded quietly, already raising the cup to her lips. She looked all right, thank Agni.

"Mai! Are you okay?"

"Zuko? What are you doing here? I'm fine."

She watched the prince's emotions pass on his face and prepared to convince him, once again, that he was perceiving everything more dramatic than it actually was. Honestly, Azula gave him a dirty look and the entire world hated him. Mai stepped into the Infirmary for a moment and she was on her deathbed. Mai got a headache just trying to follow Zuko's overly emotional logic.

"Then _why _are you in _here?_!"

He gestured wildly around him, as if they were in a battlefield and not the safest building in the Fire Nation.

"I have a stomachache."

She hoped Zuko would allow it to end at that, but she knew how this was going to end.

"Azula said you were _bleeding_!"

Mai pressed her fingers to her cheeks and eyelids to cool her face of the blood that was surely rushing there and sighed. Of _course_ Azula had said that. The best way to handle this would to be blunt.

"Look, Zuko..."

He took one of her hands and held it in both of his. She looked into his eyes, the same colour as her own, but so warm and expressive. She could see every bit of concern and confusion he felt. It was quite endearing to know he cared so much.

"Zuko, I'm on my moon cycle."

"What does the moon have to do with anything?"

Zuko watched Mai roll her eyes and pinch the bridge of her nose, sighing.

He fell silent as something clicked in his brain. His Uncle had recently tried to explain something about the changing moons and the blossoming flowers and maturing young girls and boys and why sometimes it seemed like Azula was being particularly nasty for no reason. And why suddenly nobody trusted him and Mai to be alone together.

"Oh!" He felt his face grow hot and didn't seem to be able to string his thoughts together coherently, but that didn't stop words from pouring out of his mouth. "Umm- okay! Yeah, that's- uh... really... Oh, Agni, Mai. Why am I so- ugh. Never mind. I have to go um, well... you know, with Uncle and... Bye!"

"Mai! You're back. Did you have a nice trip? Are you feeling any better?"

Mai seated herself on a cushion and sipped her ginger tea.

"Much better. Thank you for your concern, Princess Azula."

Ty Lee burst, unable to contain herself anymore, and threw her hands down on the table, leaning towards Mai.

"What happened? Did Zuko freak when he figured it out? Oh, I bet he did! He's so funny like that!"

"Completely," Mai deadpanned. "It was hilarious. Ha ha."


End file.
